Campaign Logic: Running to own 'racing' in consumer's mind

TVS Motor Company demonstrates the technical prowess of the newest entrant in the Apache RTR series

Brand: TVS Apache

Budget: Rs 10-12 crore

Agency: McCann India

Two-wheeler manufacturer TVS Motor Company has floated a new, breezy television commercial (TVC) that could be a blink-and-you-miss-it experience for the average viewer. But the 20-second advertisement with a racer exhibiting the latest and most powerful entrant in the RTR series — TVS Apache RTR 200 4V — is a matter-of-fact message that the average racer or biking enthusiast would be interested in.

This film shows a racer rev up the Apache RTR 200 4V, which immediately displays the race acceleration of 0-60 kmph in 3.9 seconds. In seconds, it races along to highlight the bike’s aspects such as tyres, speedometer, etc. ending with the claim that it’s “engineered by the stopwatch”. Arun Siddharth, vice-president - marketing (motorcycles), TVS Motor Company, says Apache is the face of TVS Racing, one of the company’s legacies in its decades-old journey.

He explains that in the premium bike segment, of which the RTR series is a part, technology and looks matter the most from a product standpoint. So the ad agency, McCann India, was asked to conceive a film which highlighted the nitty-gritty such as power to weight ratio and lap timings (difference between the first and last race participants average merely three seconds) to show that the new bike promises to deliver as one “designed to beat the stopwatch”.

A statement of McCann India adds, “The brief was to bring alive the fact that the Apache RTR 200 4V is a result of our learnings on the race track, in terms of design and engineering. It takes forward the 34-year-old legacy of TVS Racing.” The agency says the new ad carries forward the previous communication in the sense that “Apache will always stay true to the spirit of TVS Racing”. “When it comes to this particular communication, we believe there is a perfect match between the spirit behind the Apache RTR 200 4V and the finest racers.”

TVS is the third-largest player in the Indian two-wheeler market. Siddharth points out that around 200,000 units sell per month in the premium category; TVS expects to sell 7,000-8,000 units of RTR 200 alone per month. “The RTR franchise has 160cc, 180cc and now 200cc bikes. We have two million Apache customers globally, because we sell in 40 countries. Our aspiration is to be a global brand.”

He also says that TVS has a history of creating niches and then venturing into mass target audiences, be it with mopeds, Scooty and now with the Apache. The objective of the Apache is to own a niche and “own racing in the consumer’s mind”, with the help of campaigns such as this.

Besides the 360-degree ad campaign, with focus on digital channels in order to appeal to youths, Siddharth believes that various initiatives of TVS including educative programmes and championships would help it entrust enthusiasts with the job of “stewarding the brand”.